Rotary internal combustion engines



April 4, 1961 A. FEARING ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 19, 1960 April 4, 1961 A. FEARING 2,977,939

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Jan. 19, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 05 if] a; 56 M 2/ 1 I 22 4 I \O 59 ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Alfred Fearing, Stratford Road, Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, England Filed Jan. 19, 1960, Ser. No, 3,320 15 Claims. (Cl. 123-13) This invention relates to rotary internal combustion engines of the kind in which a rotor has extending ra- United States Patent- 0 2,977,939 Patented Apr. 4, 1961 drawings wherein:

dially from a cylindrical periphery vanes which sweep an annular chamber enclosed by a stator body, and at spaced locations in said chamber pass through pockets in rotary abutments rotating at appropriate speed in relation to the rotor, one such rotary abutment dividing said space between compression and expansion sections and its pocketserving as an ignition chamber for successive charges, another of said rotary abutments dividing said space between exhaust and induction sections, and said vanes in succession serving as partitions between the induction and compression sections and between the expansion and exhaust sections.

The present invention has for an object to provide an improved rotary engine of the kind above described, wherein the rotor and rotary abutments are interconnected by external gearing, and have between the limits respectively of said vanes and said pockets cylindrical surfaces in mutual line contact, the rotary abutments being mounted in bearing means radially displaceable relative to the rotor and home upon by resilient means serving under adjustable positive constraining means to maintain said line contacts.

Each of said bearing means may include a cuboid part that has a part-cylindrical recess, in which the rotary abutment is located, and that is mounted in guide means radial to the stator body.

In an engine as aforesaid the stator body may comprise a middle member the transverse dimension of which is substantially equal to the axial-length of the rotor, and check members whereon are mounted said resilient means to bear on extensions of the bearing means into or through said check members.

Preferably, in an engine according to the invention, the part of the bearing means which engages the rotary abutment having a pocket serving as an ignition chamber may have an auxiliary combustion passage connecting said pocket with the expansion section for relieving combustion pressure in said pocket.

Further a rotary engine according to the invention may have an injector forlight fuel located to open into the ignition chamber or compression section, a free piston for displacing fuel, from a pumping duct closed by a non-return valve, through said injector, and a striker for said piston, actuable by a cam rotatable preferably with a uni-directional drive. In communication with the compression section there may be a chamber in which a diaphragm or piston is displaceable under the compresunder moderate pressure, said rod serving as a ram to displace from said supply duct into said pumping duct during each compression operation a quantity of fuel Fig. 1 is a transverse section of the rotary engine. Fig. 2 is a section on the line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a detail, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of part of an engine modified by the provision of a system for injection of light fuel.

. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the rotary engine illustrated comprises a stator body 1 presenting intern-ally two major part cylindrical surfaces2 of a cylindrical chamber, within which is rotatably mounted on a shaft 3 a rotor 4 comprising a cylindrical body 5 carrying two diametrically opposed vanes 6 each secured to the surface of the body 5 by bolts 7 and nuts 8.

Held each in line contact with the surface of the body 5 are rotary abutments 9 and 11 partly seated respectively in displaceable housing members 16 and 12. The rotary abutments 9 and 11 have each a pocket 13, 14 which is traversed, as the rotor 4 and abutments 9, 11 jointly rotate, by the vanes 6 in succession.

The housing member 10 presents a'recess, which is slightly greater than a half-cylinder in which the rotary abutment 9 is seated, the inner ends 15 of said member presenting part-cylindrical surfaces co-axial with the surfaces 2.

'The housing member 12 presents a part cylindrical surface 16 which is less than a half cylinder so that this member does not obstruct an exhaust aperture 17 on one side in which is secured an exhaust pipe 18 extending downwardly through the stator body, and an induction aperture 19 on the other side which communicates with a chamber 20 in the stator body 1 provided with a branch 21 which houses a throttle valve 22, and to which a carburetor or other means (not shown) for the supply of combustible fuel mixture may be attached.

In the side of the stator body opposite that containing the induction chamber 20 there is a chamber for coolant provided with inlet and outlet branches 23 and a baffle 24 for controlling the internal flow of the coolant.

The inner walls 2 of the stator body and the inner ends of the housing members 10 and 12 together with i the cylindrical surfaces of the rotor 5 define what is metered in proportion to the displacement of the diaessentially an annular chamber wherein the rotary abut ment 9 having the pocket 13 which serves as an ignition chamber separates a compression section 25 from an expansion section 26 and the rotary abutment 11 separates an exhaust section 27 from an induction section 28, one of the vanes 6 serving at appropriate locations in its circular passage as a partition between the compression and induction sections 25, 28 while the other of the vanes 6 serves as a partition between the expansion and exhaust sections 26, 27.

The rotor 5 and the rotary abutments 9 and 11 are inter-connected for joint rotation by external gearing as shown in Fig. 2, which is a radial section of the upper half of the engine, the lower half being identical in all essential respects. The shaft 3 of the rotor 5 has secured to it a gear wheel 29 which is in mesh with a gear wheel 30 secured -to the rotary abutment 9 and with a similar gear wheel secured to the rotary abutment 11. The arrangement is such that each of the abutments 9 and 11 is driven at twice the angular speed of the rotor 5 (the latter having twice the diameter of the rotary abutments so that the three parts have equal peripheral speeds). The gears are so meshed together that each time one of the vanes passes one of the rotary abutments it traverses the pocket therein, the leading surfaces 31 and trailing surfaces 32 of these vanes being so formed that they are swept with contact or small clearance by lips 33 of a part-cylindrical external shell 34 of each of the rotary abutments 9 and 11. V

The rotary abutments 9'and 11 are maintained in line contact with the cylindrical surface of the rotor 5, by means as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These means comprise a pair of bearing blocks 35 having cylindrical bores 36 which engage antifriction bearings 35w.

Each of the bearing blocks 35 is engaged at its outer end by a stiff leaf spring 38 which is caused to press upon the block 35 by abutment of its ends against a pair of adjusting screws 39 engaged in a fixed rib 40 on one of a pair of check members 41 which present grooves 41a serving as guides for said blocks and together with the stator 1 comprises the engine casing. The rib 40 also carries an outer stop screw 42 to limit outward movement of the bearing blocks 35, and'each of the latter has a pair of projections 43, in which are mounted a pair of adjustable screws 44, the inner ends of which can engage surfaces 45 of the cheek members 41 to limit inward movement of the blocks 35.

If desired, the single leaf spring 38 may be substituted by a group of leaf springs of progressive strengths separated by shims.

Each of the housing members and 12 may be integral with a pair of blocks 35, or may be separate therefrom and prevented from relative outward movement except to an extent of the order of one thousandth of an inch by a bridge member (not shown) extended between the blocks and provided with adjustable stop means for limiting relative motion.

Referring again to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the shell member 34 of each rotary abutment is secured between end rings 37 upon a cylindrical member 46 which in turn is mounted by means of packing 47 upon a tubular member 48, the ends of which are closed by long screwed plugs 49 which are adjustable to determine the volume of the pockets 13 and 14.

The packing may comprise a plurality of members, one or a pair of which is or are located around an opening in the tubular member 48 which affords entry to the pocket 13, and others of which are longitudinal strips so that there are provided between the members 46 and 48 a plurality of longitudinal passages which by suitably closing the annular openings between the ends of the member 46 and the surface of the member '48, and providing inlet and discharge ducts, for example in radial planes from within at least one of said plug members 49 and through the member 48, may serve for the'passage of cooling fluid through the valve structure.

Alternatively, the bearing blocks 35 may have inlet and outlet passages to convey coolant into and out of the passages between the members 46 and 48 with suitable means to seal the bearings 35a.

The rotary abutment 11 may also be constructed in a similar manner to the rotary abutment 9.

In a manner which is not shown, but which will be readily understood, in the case of a spark ignition engine a sparking plug may be mounted co-axially in one of the plugs 49 of the rotary abutment 9 with external con tacts whereby current is supplied to the sparking plug at suitable moments from external electrical apparatus.

Alternatively, in the case of a compression ignition engine, a fuel injector may similarly be mounted coaxially in one of the plugs 49 of the rotary abutment 9. Such an injector may be mounted to rotate with the abutment 9, a suitable rotatable gland being provided in the external fuel pipe, but preferably an injector is mounted in a non-rotatable member within the plug 49 or an equivalent member rotating within the tubular member 48 with suitable bearings and provision for preventing leakage of combustion gases and loss of combustion pressure.

It will be understood that as each of the vanes 6 leaves the pocket 14 in the rotary abutment 11 it will undergo displacement progressively to increase the volume of the induction section 28 so as to induce air or combustible or in the case of a fuel injection engine, fuel is injected and ignition automatically occurs.

In either case the combustion pressure then serves to drive the vane out of the pocket 13 and the combustion products expand in the section 26, exerting a working pressure on the trailing surface 32 of the head 6 now at the right hand part of the annular chamber, this vane at the same time pushing before it combustion products of the previous cycle, which products being unable to pass the rotary abutment 11 are expelled through the aperture 17. The engine thus performs two four-stroke cycles for each complete revolution of the rotor 5 which is thus under continuous working pressure except at the moments immediately prior to ignition of successive charges. The rotor may in fact be put under continuous working pressure by arranging the abutments 9 and 11 out of diametrically opposite location so that one of the vanes 6 is still subject to the pressure of combustion products when the other head is within the pocket 13.

In order to minimise retention of excessively hot combustion products within the pocket 13, according to a feature of the invention, the housing member 10 is provided with an auxiliary combustion passage 50 which communicates with a passage 51 leading through the stator body 1 to the expansion section. The inner end of the passage 50 is so disposed that the pocket 13 is in communication with it until the trailing lip 33 passes an outward extension 52 of said passage, at which time the pressure in the space comprising the pocket 13, the passages 50 and 51 and the expansion section 26 has been substantially reduced, and the lip 33 of the pocket 13 is about to move so as to re-open communication between said pocket and the compression space 25. If desired means may be provided before such re-opening for the pocket 13 to be swept by a scavenging blast of air or steam through ducts provided in the housing member 10.

In Fig. 1 there is shown in the surface 2 of the compression space 25, an aperture 53 opening into the induction chamber 20 and controlled by an adjustable valve 54 so that by suitably adjusting this valve the degree of compression attained in the section 25 may be regulated.

Fig. 4 shows a modification of the engine including a system for injection of light fuel.

There is provided in the surface 2 of the compression chamber 25 an aperture 55 in communication with the interior of a cylinder 56 extending outwardly through the induction chamber 20.

In the cylinder 56 is located a piston 57 (which may evidently be replaced by a diaphragm) attached to which is a rod 58 whose outer end engages, in a fuel metering block 60 attached to the stator 1, in a branch 59 of a fuel supply duct 61. The duct 61 is supplied with fuel from an external source by way of a non-return valve 62, and is continued by way of a pipe 63 to another non-return valve 64 attached to a pump block 65 which is also secured to the stator 1.

Within the block 65 is a pumping duct 66, the ends of which are closed respectively by the non-return valve 64 and a free piston 67, and which has a branch 68 leading to a du ct 69 in the stator 1,,the inner end of which communicates through an injection valve 70, held closed by a relatively strong spring 71, with the compression section 25. 5

If desired, in order to bring the point of fuel injection nearer to the rotary abutment 9 or to inject the fuel directly into the pocket 13, the duct 69 may at its lower end terminate short of the surface 2 and have alateral branch in register with a duct extending through the housing member 10, the injection valve being located at the inner end of the latter duct.

Within the metering block 60 is located a cantilever leaf spring 72 the free end of which bears on a lug 73 secured to the rod 58 so that the spring opposes the compression pressure exerted on the piston 57.

-A stop member 74 is displace able fromthe position shown in full lines to the position 74 shown in dotted lines so that the opposing force of the spring 72 may be manually varied, and there may be further provided a fixed limit stop 75. v

' In the pump block 65 there is provided a striker 76 arranged to be lifted against the force of springs 77 by a rod 78 actuated by a profile cam 79 rotatable in synchronism with the rotary abutment 9, either on the same axis or on a parallel axis. The cam 79 preferably has a unidirectional drive comprising a pawl outwardly urged by a spiral spring 81 so as to engage in an internal notch 82 in the cam 79. The pump arrangement is such that when the rod 78 falls over the nose,83 of the cam 79, the striker 76 is rapidly urged by the' springs 77 into contact with an anvilsurface 84 and in doing so displaces the free piston 67 if the latter is protruding above said sur face.

A laterally displaceable stop member 85 is preferably provided to hold the striker 76 in its lifted position and so when desired prevent operation of the pumping system, which otherwise occurs as follows:

Fuel is supplied from the external source by a pressure sufficient to open the valve 62 but not the valve 64 thereby filling the duct 61 and branch 59 and the connecting pipe 63 The outer end of the rod 58 acts as a ram in the branch 59, and as the piston 57 is displaced under the excess of force developed by the compression pressure over that exertedby the suitably adjusted spring 72, a correspondingly metered quantity of fuel is displaced through the non-return valve 64 into the pumping duct "66 and, assuming this duct to be already full of fuel, the piston 67 is lifted so that its upper end protrudes above the anvil surface 84 to an extent proportionate to the quantity of fuel displaced by the rod 58. Thus the fuel injected into the engine when next the striker 76 is allowed to fall by the cam 79'corresponds to the pressure developed in the compression section 25 prior to any of the vanes 6 sweeping past the aperture 5 5.

Evidently, other forms of fuelvinjection pumps and metering means may be employed.

In a modification of the engine described with reference to Figs 1-3, the spaces in which the housing members l0 and 12 are mounted, embraced by the ends of the stator body 11 and the cheek members 41, may be enlarged beyond said housing members to provide cylin-'.

drical outer ends of a size to contain the transverse rectangular trace of the housing members, said cylindrical enlargements being sealed by cylindrical members con strained against radial displacement and preferably provided with annular sealing rings. In order to prevent a build-up of pressure by leakage of gases under compression and explosion pressures past the housing member into the space between it and the associated cylindrical sealing member, there may be a relief passage extending from said space preferably controlled by a suitably loaded non-return valve. Such a relief passage is not necessary for the space between the housing member 12 and its associated sealing member, since said housing member is subject only to induction and exhaust pressures.

In an engine modified as described with reference to Fig. 4, the space beyond the housing member 10 is evidently sealed or scalable by the pump block 65, but a relief passage as aforesaid from said space may be provided, while a cylindrical sealing member as above mentioned may be provided in association with the housing member 12 of such modified engine.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. A rotary internal combustion engine of the kind in which a cylindrical rotor has extending radially from its periphery vanes which sweep an annular chamber enclosed by a stator body and at spaced locations in said chamber pass through pockets in rotary abutments rotating at appropriate speed in relation to the rotor, one such rotary abutment dividing said. space between compression and expansion sections and its pocket serving as an ignition chamber for successive charges, and another of said rotary abutments dividing said space between exhaust and induction sections, and said vanes in succession serving as partitions between the induction and compression sections and between the expansion and exhaust sections, comprising in combination external gearing interconnecting said rotor and said rotary abutments, cylindrical surfaces in mutual line contact-between the limits respectively. of said vanes and said pockets,

bearing means for said rotary abutments radially displaceable relative to-the rotor, resilient means engaging said bearing means and serving to maintain said line contacts, adjustable positive constraining means appliedto said resilient means, and in'combination with each of said bearing means a member that has a part-cylinder recess, in which the rotary abutment is located, and

- guide means radial to the stator body in which said memmeans into or through said cheek members being borne upon by said resilient means.

3. A rotary engine according to claim 1, wherein said resilient means and constraining means therefor comprise at least one leaf spring engaging an outer surface presented by a part of each bearing means, adjustable screw, cam or like means for regulating the stress in the spring, and adjustable stop means for limiting both inward and outward displacement of the bearing means.

4. A rotary engine according to claim 1, wherein each rotary abutment has asingle pocket, in at least one of its ends a coaxial screw-threaded plug being located whereby the volume of said pocket is adjustable.

5. A rotary engine according to claim 1, having a sparking plug mounted in an end of that rotary abutment having a pocket which serves as an ignition chamber.

6.'A compression ignition rotary engine according to claim 1, having a fuel injector mounted in an end of that rotary abutment having a pocket which serves as an ignition chamber.

7. A rotary engine according to claim 6, comprising in combination a non-rotatable member coaxial with said rotary abutment, an axial extension at one, end of said rotary abutment rotatable about said non-rotatable member, sealing means intermediate said member and said axial extension to prevent loss of combustion pressure, a fuel injector mounted in said non-rotatable member, and means at the other end of said rotary abutment for counteracting unbalanced axial pressure on said rotary abutment.

8. A rotary engine according to claim 6, comprising in combination a non-rotatable member coaxial with said rotary abutment, an axial extension at one end of said rotary abutment rotatable about said non-rotatable member, sealing means intermediate said member and said axial extension to prevent loss of combustion pressure,

a fuel injector mounted in said non-rotatable member, means at the other end of said rotary abutment for counteracting unbalanced axial pressure on said rotary abutment, and an auxiliary combustionspassage in the bearing means engaging said rotary abutment and connecting said pocket with said expansion section for equalising combustion pressure in said pocket and said expansion section.

9. A rotary engine according to claim 1, further comprising, in the bearing means engaging that rotary abutment which has a pocket serving as an ignition chamber, an auxiliary combustion passage connecting said pocket with said expansion section for relieving combustion pressure in said pocket.

10. A rotary engine according to. claim 1, further comprising an injector passage for light fuel located to open into said compression section, a pump cylinder communicating with said passage, a free piston in said cylinder for displacing fuel, a fuel supply duct communicating with said cylinder, a non-return delivery valve in said duct, a striker [for said piston, and a rotatable cam for actuating said striker.

11. A rotary engine according to claim 10, further comprising a unidirectional drive for said cam.

12. A rotary engine according to claim 10, further comprising a chamber in communication with the compression section, a seal member in said chamber displaceable under the compression pressure, a branch of said supply duct, another, more weakly biassed, nonreturn valve between said supply duct and a source of fuel under moderate pressure, and a rod movable in said branch by said seal member, said rod serving as a ram to displace from said supply duct into said pumping duct during each compression operation a quanity of fuel metered in proportion to the displacement of said seal member under a degree of pressure attained during said operation.

13. A rotary engine according to claim 12, further comprising resilient means bearing on said seal member in opposition to the compression pressure.

147 A rotary engine according to claim 13, further comprising means to adjust said resilient means to vary the force of said resilient means in opposition to the compression pressure.

15. A rotary engine according to claim 1, further comprising in the stator body a bypass passage affording communication between said compression section and said induction section, a non-return valve in said passage and adjustable means bearing on said valve to control the degree of compression attained in said compression section.

Motsinger June 7, 1910 Baylin Apr. 12, 1949 

